I really really like the Framed Greetings stamp/die set from MFT and since Damask Designs doesn't need anything more than a sentiment to complete it's elegance, I paired it up! Another reason just for a sentiment,

I made this for the MFT September Guest Designer challenge.

Do you see a BRAND NEW Die-namics die used on this card?

It is the new Perfect Bracket Edge Die-namics!

It was designed to cut various widths of paper.....you can simply die cut it out and then

trim it down to the size you need! Here I used it to make a decorative edge to the bottom

of my card. For my card, I did have to trim it down as it actually will make a length of

Monday, August 30, 2010

This post is for Nichole Heady......she has truly been an inspiration to me and I wanted to thank her for all her beautiful and inspiring creations! Before I found PTI, I felt like I was "floundering" around with another company. I'm not sure where I found PTI but I'm sure glad I did! I feel that PTI's wonderful products are inspiring in themselves and then pair them with Nichole's creative mind?? Wow. So Nichole, this

"THANK YOU" is for you!!

I used a "Dawn" idea from one of her cards and CASE'd it here using the little flowers from Spiral Bouquet. Makes such a cute little flower especially embellished with some buttons for centers!

Saturday, August 28, 2010

I love to participate in challenges......they really make you think outside the box. My card here is for several challenges......This one is a challenge of my own: to use a new die I bought at my LSS the other night from MFT. It's a new Rounded Banner Trio Die-namics that is debuting with the MFT September release!

This die cuts out all three layers you see here so that

you can have perfectly even layered banners!! I wanted to use it as scallops here instead of as a banner.

I was late posting this for one of the challenges but here is the other one:

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

It is officially Papertrey Blog Hop time! This is one of my favorite times of the month!

This month's blog hop challenge was this:

"In honor of school going back into session everywhere, we thought it would be fun to issue a Brown Bag

Challenge. We want to see what you can do to dress up, alter, change an ordinary brown lunch bag into

a paper crafting work of art."

I received my new Papertrey goodies in the mail yesterday and broke them out to use for this card.

Leaf Prints.....awesome stamp set. Love love how you can stamp the veins in different colors over the leaves. And can you say matching dies? I am soo giddy over dies lately.....I think it has something to do with Papertrey! {wink}

I used my brown paper bag as the base of my card and I used my new leaf dies to die cut some leaves. The leaves were stamped and crumpled up.....love that look!

Monday, August 23, 2010

This challenge is for the Papertrey Paper Dolls Challenge #16 hosted by Lee Ann. It is based off a sketch from Go-To Sketches magazine and is a sketch by Betsy Veldman. Here is my card....kinda fun. I sent this card off with my daughter for one of her friends' birthday parties this weekend.

I, like some others, didn't have any round cards so I had to draw my own and try to cut out in a circle!

That was really really hard. I need to invest in larger circle Nesties!

I am loving this sweet baker's twine from Martha Stewart that I got on

clearance last year after Christmas.

Here is the sketch that my card is based off of.

Why don't you come and play along with our challenges? We keep them open for 3 weeks for you to link

Thursday, August 19, 2010

These MFT dies were just staring me in the face so I broke them out and made this card.

I also used the Library Ledger paper from PTI. Ummm.....can you say yum? I am in LOVE with this paper collection. The colors and patterns are just fabulous.

I found these embossing strips from Cuttlebug and I'm sure they are nothing new but I fell in love with them and thought they could add just the right touch to cards sometimes. I used one of them on the side of the sentiment here. I also used the sketch from Get Sketchy for this one.

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

I am behind on challenges.......I'll admit it. Sorry girls! I will get a card made for every challenge.....I totally missed the InLinkz to one but I will post my card! This particular week's Papertrey Paper Dolls challenge was hosted by non other than Bonnie Rose. Please check out her blog......she updates her blog daily with some great creations! Bonnie's challenge was a photo inspiration challenge using this photo.

I had a very difficult time with this one.........but here is what I finally came up with.

I finally went simple with this challenge.......with COLOR!! Since Bonnie's challnege was bright and bold, I broke out my copics and colored some butterflies! Adding a bold sentiment from Giga Guidelines in the center was just what it needed!!

Thanks Bonnie Rose for giving me a challenge to work on!

Come play along with our challenges! Link them up so we can see your cards!

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Ted challenged us to make a card that is simple, no layering, no bling, no ribbon, no glitter, etc. You get the picture right? These simple cards are hard for me but right after Ted posted this challenge, I knew I needed to use his challenge to make a BELATED birthday card for our nephew. I almost forgot to post my card when I saw today that my friend, Jen Carter, posted her challenge card and our layout is almost identical except for the stamp set used! Great minds think alike!

I used one of my favorite PTI sets EVER............STAR PRINTS!!

If you don't have this set, you must get it! The fonts are absolutely awesome and these stars can be punched out with coordinating punches too! Who doesn't like that? This is often the set I pull out when I need to make a masculine card.....it is perfect for those!

I used the masking technique on my card.....something I don't do very often at all!

Thanks for taking a peek at my card today......why don't you come and play along with Ted's challenge?

He is even offering up some PTI goodness! The challenge is open until Saturday, August 28.

Monday, August 16, 2010

Today was my son's first day of school. (3rd grade...really??) In keeping with the tradition I've started when I made them these mini mailboxes, I made a little 3 x 3 card to tuck in there with a little note. I added a few other things in there too! He was soo ready to go back to school but am I?? I think what else has been on my mind lately is that my daughter will be joining him at school next year for kindergarten! So, I have one year left with her before she goes out into the "world".

Here are some of the pics that "didn't turn out" and those that I love.

Thursday, August 12, 2010

I am back with a Papertrey Paper Dolls challenge that will be closing soon. This weeks challenge was hosted by Cecilia at Trade Fish Designs. She challenged us to 1) use a color you wouldn't normally use and 2) use a technique that you haven't used in a while. Well, I paired Terracotta Tile up with Enchanted Evening for a fairly simple card. I can't really say that I used a technique but I did stitch the button to my card and made my own stamped paper. Does that count?

I used my new CHA stamp set: Four of a Kind! LOVE it soo much!

Thanks goes out to Laurie for proxy shopping for me on her vacation! You're the best!

Come play along with the Paper Dolls....there are many challenges still open!

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Hello and thank you so much for stopping by! I have not used the Baby Button Bits set yet for an actual baby card except for one sentiment. In need of a baby boy card, I thought it was a good time to put it to use! Lots of Library Ledger papers and I used my favorite new die: Dienamics banner die from MFT.

I didn't want to try to "color" the teddy bear so I did the easy thing......stamp and cut out!

I wanted to use my Morroccan Motifs impression plate again and I thought why not use that tiny image from Tea For Two Additions inside the impressions! It fit perfectly! I inked up that impressed strip with Chamomile ink so that the impressed areas showed up a bit more. I finished up with more wrinkle ribbon from etsy and tied on a tea cup and a Simply Chartreuse shanked button. I did want to mention that I colored on my center brad with some copics to darken it a bit as it was a "gold" color before.

The large triple lined circle is from this set as is the "scallops" around the outside just inking up half of them. The little scrolly image just inside the big circle is also from this set too! Now for the inside of the doily.....the two other images are from Simply Stationery. The final image used to my doily was from the set

Vintage Labels.....the scrolly image inside the scallops. So 3 total sets used to make this!!

Now I don't do vintage very well but I knew I would have to TRY when using a doily!!

I paired my doily card with LOTS of Chamomile tea dye ink and some wrinkle ribbon I bought on

an Etsy shop a while back called PrairieBirdBoutique and used the Chamomile ink as well as dabs of Chai ink to make it vintage. The fun vintage crocheted trim is a find from a garage sale this summer. It was neatly wrapped up and tied with ribbon for 25cents or something crazy like that!

Thursday, August 5, 2010

Hello there! I have been MIA this past week as I've been on vacation the past 9 days.....part of the time was on a family vacation to Branson and the other days just hanging out with my kids before school starts up in a week! Ackk....where has the summer gone? We had such a great time in Branson.......rented a condo, went to Schlitterbahn and Silver Dollar City, rented a pontoon on Table Rock Lake, rode go-carts, and just had a good time with family!

I have to give a huge apology to my fellow Papertrey Dolls.....I haven't kept up on these challenges this summer. I will try harder though!! Anyway, I thought I would get caught up on some challenges here in the next few days. So first up, is the challenge hosted by Leish and it was all about using some material as inspiration! I really liked this challenge......so I got out a new scrub top I bought over a month ago to serve as my inspiration piece. Scrubs have such unique color combinations....sometimes I get out a scrub catalogue just for ideas!

About Me

I am a wife and mom to a couple of amazing kids. When I'm not hanging out with my family, I work full time as a dialysis nurse at a large clinic. I love to make cards and am obsessed with collecting paper, twine, and dies (and everything else)! Thanks for stopping by to see my work!